Purple Quail-Dove

Geotrygon purpurata

Stunning dove found in very wet rainforest in the lowlands and foothills of western Colombia and northwestern Ecuador. Notable features include a chestnut back, pale belly, golden neck patches, and a striking head pattern. Might be confused with the duller Olive-backed Quail-Dove in dark forest, where color is not easy to discern; note the neck patches and stronger contrast between white forehead and darker crown on Purple Quail-Dove. Usually encountered alone, quietly walking along the forest floor. May ascend to a low perch when flushed or when it sings—a soft whistle repeated every few seconds.

Identification

The purple quail-dove is 22 to 26 cm (8.7 to 10.2 in) long and weighs about 155 g (5.5 oz). The adult male has reddish-brown upperparts with a purplish wash, rich reddish purple wing coverts, and bright ultramarine back and rump. The tail is blackish with white tips on the outer three feathers. The underparts are grayish white. The head has an intricate pattern of indigo crown and nape, mostly white face and throat, a blackish purple malar stripe, and iridescent golden green sides of the neck. The eyes are pale red surrounded by bare black skin. The adult female is duller than the male and the upperparts are a less rich red-brown. Juveniles are even duller, with a less distinct facial pattern, buffy markings on the upperparts, and no iridescence.

Taxonomy

The purple quail-dove was at one time considered a subspecies of sapphire quail-dove, now Geotrygon saphirina but then named Osculatia saphirina. Since the early 2010s it has been treated as a separate species.

Scientific name
Geotrygon purpurata
Authority
(Salvin, 1878)
Order
Columbiformes
Family
Columbidae
Genus
Geotrygon

Range and habitat

The purple quail-dove is found from northwestern Colombia south to northwestern Ecuador. It inhabits the ground and undergrowth of primary and older secondary evergreen montane forest. In Colombia it ranges from 200 to 1,100 m (660 to 3,610 ft) in elevation but only up to 700 m (2,300 ft) in Ecuador.

Migration
Resident species

Behavior

Migration pattern: Resident species.

Conservation

Population trend: declining.

Population trend
declining

Photos

Distribution

Bird Calls

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Spot-winged Thrush

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